Why dont aeroplanes fly in straight lines?

Question

I know they have flight paths, but there's nothing in the way, so why not take off, get the direction and flap those wings all the way to where ever it is they are going?

Answer 1

There are currents in the air, just as in the ocean. They use the known currents... jet streams... to speed the flight.

Answer 2

1) When they take off, they typically fly INTO the wind.
2) They follow flight paths based on navigation points (VORs) on the ground like how highways go through major towns between each other.
3) The gather data from other pilots to fly around inclement weather.
4) Flight paths are very regimented which prevent collision. Flight levels must be attained before some turns can be made.
5) Avoid the Bermuda Triangle ;-p

Answer 3

They more or less do fly in a straight line!!! However, setting a specific flight path makes things more uniform and it helps the ground control to follow the planes with instruction to their destination of course taking into account other airlines intersections, etc. Or else the skies would be a mess!!

I am a Boeing 747 (jumbo jet) flight simulator pilot by the way!!

Answer 4

Everything about an aeroplane's flight path is controlled. Where it's possible, they fly in straight lines. However, we don't want them crashing into each other. When they come in to land at a busy airport, their approach has to be carefully calulated so that they approach the runway with enough space between them. The only way of slowing them down is to make them go a longer way around.

Answer 5

Plane flights are generally a combination of headings issued by air traffic control (known as vectors, i.e. vector addition and vector resolution),jet routes or airways. Here, Newton's laws of motion come into play. Planes are held up by the way air pressure rearranges itself when air flows over the wing of a plane.
There would be utter chaos if all planes took off and went in a direct line to their destinations.

Answer 6

Yeah really! How bout some loops! Immelman turns! Lazy eights! Barrel rolls! Specially if it's an intercontinental flight! You might be sitting next to some California fat slob exuding body odor for eight hours or more, people! Let's break up the monotony! Give the pilot a couple beers, maybe! We're onto the fact it's all computer navigation/sustained flight anywho! Anytime these guys go manual bunches of bad stuff happens!

Answer 7

They have to follow HIgh Altitude Paths and also follow Standard Routes which are also set by Airlines.
For example a British Airways flight from Heathrow to Bombay (Mumbai) will be quicker if they flew over Iraq into India.
But due to circumstances, they dont
So they have Flight Plans to follow

Answer 8

They have to account for wind speed and direction. The pilot told us on a flight that the wind speeds were nearing 220 mph from right to left and we had to fly more west to get to our southwest destination. We went about 600 miles out of the way to make up for the wind.

Answer 9

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Answer 10

There are many factors like no fly zones, avoiding storms, and the fact that the earth is round so a straight path still looks circular when drawn.

Answer 11

Because the FAA has rules and regulations as to which aircraft get to fly in what airspace, at what time. Also Airline pilots try to set a path that will avoid known turbulence.